Adobe releases Beta of Xara-Style WYSIWYG-Editor

[Guest]

I've test-run this App yesterday and found quite a few new and elegant ideas.
It is definedly easy to use. I especially like the Project Planning Room which lets all Pages in their Relationship to each other like in a Mind Map.
Here's some Videos on this Software's functionality. But I very much dislike the fact that they want to release it as Subscription-Product
only so that one can not actually buy a copy of it...

[ShapeShifter]

Muse will be available by subscription only. One-year plan US $15.00 per month (US $180.00 per year) or Month-to-month plan US $20.00 per month

[pauland]

It's fortunate that Xara have been pressing ahead with artistic workflow and tool enhancements rather than just web development.. ;-)

The subscription model won't be an issue for many people if it does a good job.

[Guest]

The subscription model won't be an issue for many people if it does a good job.

Not sure: I saw all Software-Rent concepts fail so far, people are complaining badly already. But that said - one can use the Tool for free for as long as it is in Beta.

[pauland]

It all depends how much money you earn/charge for your web work.

[handrawn]

so that one can not actually buy a copy of it...

license you mean....

[mwenz]

I've written about Muse on another forum when it popped up. It does have a few nice things about it.

However, Adobe is targeting it at graphic designers who are "too stupid" or "lazy" to use DW. That will alienate most of their stated demographic. I suspect the advertising will at some point change.

My feeling is that there are enough easier to use wysiwyg web design applications and either Adobe will end up retooling their advertising to the low-end market or the product will die. Why? Because most people buying wysiwyg web authors simply will not go for a subscription-based product. Most professional developers won't touch the product and most graphic designers of web sites who are using Adobe products already have a great prototyping product in the form of PS with a plug-in.

I also see this as Adobe using the subscription model to basically have customers pay for continued development. If not enough people pay for this subscription-based development model, Adobe will either need to fund development more conventionally or let the product die. Alternatively, they may roll some of these Muse concepts into a DreamWeaver Lite (which is what I think they ought to have done already).

There are only two really good professional web development tools out there. There are a lot of various wysiwyg tools of varying capabilities. There is no real middle. That I think is where Adobe could take Muse if it was rolled into a subset of DW. And without a subscription model.

Take care, Mike

[ShapeShifter]

.....targeting it at graphic designers who are "too stupid" or "lazy" to use DW.

....why them's fightun' words on a Xara Web Designer forum, pardner

[mwenz]

Not really "fightun'" words in context. I suspect Adobe's target customers are not necessarily the the ones shopping for wysiwyg web tools in general. They seem to be currently targeting designers already using Adobe products. Hence not at this time broad marketing to the public at large. That may change once it is "ready" for the pay-for-use scheme.

The price-point of wysiwyg web design software more or less excludes the public at large for the pay-for-use scheme of Muse. I mean, what does the Xara web products cost? WebPlus? And the dozen or more other editors available at every office supply center? Compare that to Muse once released where one will likely need to go straight to Adobe for a time-limited or pay-through-the-nose piece of software? I cannot see Mrs. Smith going on-line for Muse.

Mike

[ShapeShifter]

I cannot see Mrs. Smith going on-line for Muse.

I suspect that anyone involved in or interested in web site design software will likely be connected to the web.